Quick Answer
The answer is the Global external HTTP(S) Load Balancer. This is the correct choice because it uses a single anycast IP address to route user traffic from anywhere in the world to the nearest healthy GKE backend, which directly achieves the global load balancing and low latency required for a multi-region e-commerce platform. It also supports cross-regional failover and integrates seamlessly with Cloud CDN for caching static assets. On the Google Professional Cloud Developer exam, this question tests your understanding of the distinction between global and regional load balancers, specifically that a regional load balancer cannot serve traffic across multiple regions with a single IP. A common trap is choosing a regional load balancer for a global workload, so remember the memory tip: “Global for global, regional for local”—if your users and backends span continents, you need the global anycast IP of the HTTP(S) Load Balancer.
This PCD practice question tests your understanding of designing highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company runs a global e-commerce platform on GKE. They need to serve users with low latency from multiple regions. Which load balancing solution should they use?
Regional external HTTP(S) Load Balancer
Why wrong: Regional load balancers serve only one region.
Global external HTTP(S) Load Balancer
Global load balancer routes users to the nearest region, minimizing latency.
Internal TCP/UDP Load Balancer
Why wrong: Internal load balancers are for VPC-only, not internet-facing.
SSL Proxy Load Balancer
Why wrong: SSL proxy is for encrypted non-HTTP traffic.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Global external HTTP(S) Load Balancer
A global external HTTP(S) Load Balancer is the correct choice because it provides a single anycast IP address that routes traffic from users worldwide to the nearest GKE backend, minimizing latency. It supports cross-regional failover and integrates with Cloud CDN for caching static content, making it ideal for a global e-commerce platform. Regional load balancers cannot serve traffic across multiple regions with a single IP, which is required for global low-latency access.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Regional external HTTP(S) Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
Regional load balancers serve only one region.
Global external HTTP(S) Load Balancer
Why this is correct
Global load balancer routes users to the nearest region, minimizing latency.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Internal TCP/UDP Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
Internal load balancers are for VPC-only, not internet-facing.
SSL Proxy Load Balancer
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the misconception that a Regional external HTTP(S) Load Balancer can be used for global traffic by simply deploying it in one region, but the trap is that it lacks anycast IP and cannot route users to the nearest region, causing higher latency for distant users.
Detailed technical explanation
The Global external HTTP(S) Load Balancer uses Google's global anycast IP (e.g., 34.96.0.0/16 range) and the Google Front End (GFE) infrastructure to route requests to the closest healthy backend, leveraging the same anycast network as Google Search and YouTube. Under the hood, it supports URL-based routing, traffic splitting, and can span multiple GKE clusters across regions using NEGs (Network Endpoint Groups) with container-native load balancing. A real-world scenario: an e-commerce site with backends in us-central1 and europe-west1 can serve a user in Japan via the nearest GFE, reducing latency by over 100ms compared to a regional LB.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Designing highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Designing highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All PCD questions
500 questions across all exam domains
Google Professional Cloud Developer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
PCD practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise PCD questions linked to Designing highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications.
Practise PCD questions linked to Building and testing applications.
Practise PCD questions linked to Deploying applications.
Practise PCD questions linked to Integrating Google Cloud services.
Practise PCD questions linked to Managing application performance monitoring.
Practise PCD questions linked to PCD fundamentals.
Practise PCD questions linked to PCD scenario.
Practise PCD questions linked to PCD troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Designing highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications — This question tests Designing highly scalable, available, and reliable cloud-native applications — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Global external HTTP(S) Load Balancer — A global external HTTP(S) Load Balancer is the correct choice because it provides a single anycast IP address that routes traffic from users worldwide to the nearest GKE backend, minimizing latency. It supports cross-regional failover and integrates with Cloud CDN for caching static content, making it ideal for a global e-commerce platform. Regional load balancers cannot serve traffic across multiple regions with a single IP, which is required for global low-latency access.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This PCD practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCD exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.